Personal branding discussions are making the rounds of the social media, marketing, and PR blogging circles. Some people think “personal branding” is evil, others think it’s necessary, and others still don’t care about it.

Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about personal branding:

Personal branding is the process whereby people and their careers are marked as brands.[1] It has been noted that while previous self-help management techniques were about self-improvement, the personal branding concept suggests instead that success comes from self-packaging.[2] The term is thought to have been first used and discussed in an 1997 article by Tom Peters.[3]

You might say that your personal brand is a collection of attributes that define you as a person and make you distinct from other people.

Thing is, a lot of people don’t want to be thought of as products like cars, MP3 players, foods, cleaning products, or sports teams.  It’s demeaning.

On the other hand, anyone who’s ever gone job hunting, bucked for a promotion, or tried to sell ANYTHING knows that branding, which is